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I began the day in Stratford, starting with routine blood tests at the hospital, then going to my dentist for a somewhat overdue check-up. Then I decided to head over to Kemerton Lake, to see if there was anything interesting going on there. I've been meaning to become a Friend of the Kemerton Conservation Trust for several years, but I only recently got round to writing them a cheque - however this means that I now have access to some restricted parts of the reserve including the two locked hides, and I thought it might be a good morning for checking them out.

Although I spent an enjoyable three hours at Kemerton, and eventually recorded twenty four bird species, they were all keeping their distance, either in the woodland or out on the lake, and all of my photos were what I like to call "context images", by which I mean that you can just about make out the bird, but it's pretty small in the frame and there's no feather detail to be seen. At 3pm, which I'd set as my visit limit, I was in the public Water's Edge Hide watching a pair of Great Crested Grebes getting amorous in a distant reed bed, but it was obvious that they'd finished their love-in and weren't about to do a weed dance, so I called time and stood up to close the viewing windows. 

At that exact moment the male Grebe - obviously very pleased with himself - suddenly swam across the intervening water, preening and shaking out his plumage, and passed so close under the corner of the hide that I couldn't get all of him in the frame. With no time to wind in the zoom, I just kept shooting until he moved further away again, and ended up with some really nice full-length portraits, but it's so unusual to be this close to a bird that's generally nervous and retiring that I can't resist using one of the images that cut him in half. I love that profile, his deep red eye, and his glorious breeding cap and tippet.

On the way home along the A46 I called in at Bredon Country, expecting some kind of farm shop experience, but all it sells is up-market country clothing. Country clothing is good though - I almost asked to try on a pair of walking boots, but didn't want to risk souring an otherwise happy day - and the café (mainly serving breakfasts, burgers, sandwiches and cakes, though they also do a couple of lunch specials and occasional 'event' dinners) provided me with a very acceptable coffee.